** Ottawa, Ontario seeing ever increasing number of Code Zeros

CANADA NEWS

** Ottawa citizens are apparently seeing an increasing level of Code Zeros where no ambulances are available to respond to calls. That is the word from City News (Anil Jhalli/October 24) which said 2022 so far has seen 1,000 such events, while 2021 recorded 750. Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa president Daryl Wilton said this year’s number is unprecedented with no signs that it will improve. He said inadequate hospital bed numbers are partly creating the problem due to the lengthy ER  offload delays created. By way of offering a solution, Wilton said both the city and the province need to contribute, since both fund paramedic services.

** England and Wales about to experience massive ambulance strike?

UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

** Industrial action that could involve more than 15,000 paramedics across 11 different ambulance trusts in England and Wales could be in the offing, with practitioners voting today on whether or not to proceed to the picket lines. That is the word from Yahoo News (Alan Jones/October 23) which said the main point of contention is pay, with providers outraged over an imposed 4% pay increase. According to the news site, GMB Union spokesman Rachel Harrison said the job action would be the biggest in three decades. Harrison said pay cuts over the last ten years as well as the skyrocketing cost of living have made it so medics can not exist on their current salaries. She also said there are currently 135,000 EMS vacancies resulting in ambulance delays of sometimes 26 hours. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care, meanwhile, urged prehospital unions to reconsider striking, given the impact it would have on patients.

** Cyberattack takes down computer aided emergency dispatch in Forth Worth, Texas Thursday

UNITED STATES NEWS

** A cyberattack in Fort Worth, Texas apparently knocked 911 services offline temporarily Thursday. That is the word from WFAA (October 20) which said the attack was detected in the early morning hours, forcing techs to resort to manual dispatching until service could be restored. According to the news site, a MedStar spokesman said 911 patient records do not appear to have been breached. Spokesman Matt Zavadsky said computerized aided dispatch was being gradually restored by 6 p.m.